A New Spin on Vinyl

This holiday season’s shopping list might consist of gift cards, socks or gadgets, but if you want to be the one who tops the charts in gift giving for 2021, you might want to consider music. For that, there’s no better place than downtown Benton’s Retro Rose Records.

“Walking in our front door, you’re going to be met with a blast from the past,” said owner Audra McAnally. “We have wood-paneled walls with vinyl records everywhere. You’ll find everything from the 70s, 80s and today hanging on the walls. It will feel like you’ve stepped through a time machine and gone back decades.”

McAnally, 25, first got the idea of opening a vintage vinyl store after her first business was forced to close during the COVID 19 pandemic. “My fiancé and I have collected vinyl for years. We used to have so much fun hunting for classic vinyl records and building our own collection. I still had a really good shop space in downtown Benton, so I decided to go for it.”

McAnally now hunts for great vinyl, both for herself and for her business. Opened in October 2020, Retro Rose provides shoppers and enthusiasts’ classic rare finds in LP along with the works of contemporary artists now offering their work in that old classic style. 

“We also have turntables, stickers and apparel,” she said. “And what a lot of people don’t know is that cassettes are making a comeback, kind of like vinyl a few years ago.” 

When asked if 8-track was making a comeback, McAnally laughed and replied, “Ummm… no.”

While Retro Rose perfectly leans into the music space, McAnally said it was equally important that her store offer an atmosphere that was ideal for everyone, regardless of style or taste.

“While I love music, as a small business owner, one of the things I really wanted to accomplish was an environment where people could come in, feel welcome and know that we all share the common appreciation of music,” she said. “We’ve all gone in that store where we didn’t ‘fit in,’ and it was my sole purpose to not be that store. When you come in here, you will know that you’re with friends and others who truly love music.”

McAnally agrees that music played on more traditional formats like vinyl does sound better. “You can hear and understand the music behind the artist on a different level. The sound quality is incomparable to anything else out there,” she said. 

When asked about her favorite genre, McAnally has a response that only a true music connoisseur could give. “As I’ve gotten older my music of choice has a focus on classic rock, although growing up I was raised on hip-hop and metal. These genres tend to find their way onto my turntable more often than not. But even with these being favorites, I still take the time to learn about every genre and different artists, that way I can have a very eccentric range of music for individuals to choose from. I am constantly finding new artists, new albums and new jams to make my love for music even bigger.”

Retro Rose is located at 113 E. Sevier Street next to Allied Glass in Benton, but McAnally said some big news is coming for those living in Garland County. “We’re soon opening another store in Hot Springs, on Central Avenue in the shopping mall underneath the Arlington Hotel.”

For more on Retro Rose, give them a call at 501.430.9222 or by visiting retrorose.online.